The Inspirations Collection.
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Welcome to designbivouac’s inspiration collection.
Exploring design and innovation.
Over 30 years of collaboration, designbivouac has uncovered lasting insights. Inspirations is a curated collection of inspirational objects and ideas shaping a continuous journey of creative exploration.
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SOLSTICE - 5 | Masterfully Visualizing Scale
Solstice—5: Forgotten Archives offers remarkable visuals that capture the scale of interplanetary exploration. It also delivers a powerful cautionary tale about our exploitation of nature and potential future uses of AI right here on Earth.
Solstice—5: Forgotten Archives offers remarkable visuals that capture the scale of interplanetary exploration. It also delivers a powerful cautionary tale about our exploitation of nature and potential future uses of AI right here on Earth.
The art direction and design by Paul Chadeisson are remarkable. The narrative weaves together suspense, discovery, and the ethical dilemmas of tampering with newly discovered planets. With its blend of mystery, technology, and human curiosity, SOLSTICE—5: Forgotten Archives offers a compelling journey into the unknown, inevitably forcing us to think about how we continue to explore and exist on our own planet.
The visualization masterfully captures a sense of scale. The world it presents is one of immense, forgotten technology — massive spacecraft and towering mechanical platforms that stretch far beyond the horizon. These colossal structures are not just remnants of some distant technological age but monuments to lost ambition, crumbling slowly in the face of time and erosion. What gives them true gravity, however, is their juxtaposition against vast natural landscapes — windswept deserts, jagged cliffs, and still valleys that seem to whisper stories of long-past industrial glory.
The visual storytelling is precise and intentional. Human figures are shown only sparingly, but when they appear, they are small — almost invisible at first glance. A lone explorer, a maintenance worker, or a robed traveler might be standing on a catwalk or dwarfed by the base of a landing gear the size of a city block. These moments are quiet but powerful. The contrast between human and machine scales invites reflection: not only on the limits of human capability but also on the haunting beauty of what we leave behind.
Peter Elson Tribute
Many hours were spent at the bivouac in the early years, pouring over details within Peter Elson’s science fiction illustrations. This spacecraft TRIBUTE, created in the style of Peter Elson, is intended to be just that—a tribute to a fantastic illustrator.
Countless hours were spent at the bivouac in those early years, immersed in the intricate worlds crafted by Peter Elson’s science fiction illustrations. Each detail—each glint of metal, every improbable angle—was a portal into vast, imagined futures. This spacecraft TRIBUTE, rendered in the unmistakable style of Elson, is precisely that: a heartfelt homage to a visionary artist whose work ignited the imaginations of so many. From its vivid color palette to its layered mechanical complexity, the design celebrates Elson’s ability to blend the fantastical with the plausible, where engineering meets imagination on the canvas of deep space.
Deeper thinking about our place in the universe, coexisting with others, and the potential of science fiction to be both cautionary and inspirational were all key takeaways from Elson’s work, featured in books like those from the Terran Trade Authority.
More than an AI-generated model, TRIBUTE is a memory made tangible, a gesture of gratitude for the wonder sparked at the bivouac, and a salute to a master of speculative visual storytelling.
Related Links
Great Space Battles: A Terran Trade Authority Handbook
Terran Trade Authority Website
Additional designbivouac Post on Peter Elson
To view more of Peter Elson’s work visit: www.this-is-cool.co.uk/the-classic-sci-fi-art-of-peter-elson/
Futureproof: USGS Monitor
Future USGS locations may be supplemented with Monitor technology that collects data related to weather, vegetation conditions, wildfire management, wildlife migration, and more.
Future User Narrative
On a recent cross-country motorcycle trip, I stopped north of Moab, Utah, to bivouac for an evening. The dry creekbed and a nearby rock formation protected me from the gentle overnight breeze. I took a short hike at sunrise and came across one of those new USGS markers with a solar-powered camera Monitor kit anchored next to it. I scanned the QR code on the badge to access the viewpoint later. It was strange to have felt so alone and isolated the evening before, only to discover a Monitor station a quarter of a mile away. It's good that these resources are available for those who need assistance. I can also view the camera feed from this location remotely at any time, which is excellent as it is now one of my favorite bivouacking sites. Still, I am starting to wonder what it takes to get off the grid for a while.
Technology
AI-enabled, solar-powered image monitoring for fire prevention, weather forecast augmentation, vegetation monitoring, and remote assistance services
Implications
With new off-grid support infrastructure in place, what does getting away from it all mean?
How might this seldom-seen support network impact the human spirit?
How might USGS Monitoring technology save lives and communities as we experience more severe weather and wildfire events?
Futureproof is a series of occasional provocations illustrating possible future paths for technology and culture. Think postcards from the future.
AI: Suiting Up With Midjourney
Designbivouac is experimenting with the integration of AI into the creative process. This post focuses on a beginner’s exploration into the potential of AI as an aid in visualization. It is a study in prompting and editing.
Designbivouac is experimenting with the integration of AI into the creative process. It is a study in prompting and editing. Many creatives have mentioned that they treat Midjourney like an intern. Over the years, I have seen many interns produce invaluable work, primarily when they are well-mentored and treated with patience and respect. Thus, there are high hopes for Midjourney and various other AI visualization offerings. It's hard to believe we are just getting started.
The session began with the prompt: a space suit with textures and white metal plating, dark visors, lights, valves, and a photorealistic, futuristic aesthetic. Rendering time was about 35 seconds.
The image in the lower right was selected for further evolution.
Variations were run as a single pass. The variation in the upper right was selected for refinement based upon the revised visor shape and details on the upper rear of the helmet.
The abdominal region was selected for focused variational refinement.
Ultimately the original abdominal visuals were chosen.
Final version zoomed out 2x. This version proved ideal for the next bivouac mission.
I look forward to the day when these tools can function even further with voice input, and regions from one image can be swapped with those from another. Perhaps that is already possible. We could be much closer to interactions like those visualized in Bladerunner during the photo enhancement scene. Enhance!
Below is a gallery of other early designbivouac Midjouney visualizations.
The Future of Phones
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of contributing some thoughts that informed Alexis Madrigal's Atlantic article "iPhone 5? Yawn. What Will the 'Phone' of 2022 Look Like?"
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of contributing some thoughts that informed Alexis Madrigal's Atlantic article "iPhone 5? Yawn. What Will the 'Phone' of 2022 Look Like?" While so many are understandably appreciating the latest offering from Apple in the "phone-on-glass'" category, the article does an excellent job of encouraging us to think beyond today's prevailing interaction paradigms and from factors toward a future with a greater variety of form factors as well as richer, more seamless interactions. Who knows, while displays are getting bigger this week, in 2022, the next big thing might be pretty small.
"Comfort Zone" ear piece from 2001 future technology forecasting project at IDEO.
Speech-driven interface in the film her.
Tony Stark interacts with J.A.R.V.I.S through gesture, physical controls and voice.
Final Fantasy Holographic Interfaces
There are many excellent examples of holographic interfaces interspersed throughout the film “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.”
There are many excellent examples of holographic interfaces interspersed throughout the film “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.” I’d encourage interaction designers looking for inspiration to watch the film. Thankfully, someone took the time to make a summary video from the Huds and Guis section of Vimeo, which is available below.
Seiko and Final Fantasy
Seiko has produced a limited edition of watches similar in appearance to the one Dr. Aki Ross wore in the film "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within."
Seiko has produced a limited edition of watches similar in appearance to the one Dr. Aki Ross wore in the film "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within." While it does not appear to have a holographic interface or the ability to detect and analyze spirits within, kudos to Seiko for pushing the edge on this and getting something unique in the market.
A less exclusive version of the watch based on the film is also available.
The Future of Flight
The Embassy created noteworthy visualizations of future aircraft for a feature article appearing in the October 2003 issue of Popular Mechanics.
The Embassy created noteworthy visualizations of future aircraft for a feature article in the October 2003 issue of Popular Mechanics. What makes many of these futuristic aircraft visualizations so convincing is their placement in photorealistic background settings and remarkable attention to detailed texture mapping, which gives the vehicles a real-world lived-in look.
Catch a glimpse of things to come via theembassyvfx.com/portfolio/popular-science-the-future-of-flight
HAL 9000
An essential entry in the Interface Hall of Fame, the HAL 9000 and its associated information displays remain impressive nearly 40 years after their creation
An essential entry in the Interface Hall of Fame, the HAL 9000 and its associated information displays remain impressive nearly 40 years after their creation. And that's no lie. Thanks HAL.
Final Fantasy Surgical Interface
While "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" was panned by many critics as being overhyped and having an unsatisfying storyline, it is hard to deny that, at a visual level, the film certainly has its moments.
While many critics panned "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" as overhyped and having an unsatisfying storyline, it is hard to deny that, at a visual level, the film certainly has its moments. The characters have compelling technology to tap into, including Dr. Aki Ross's surgical laser, complete with a holographic interface. Check out the film if you are interested in animated features. The film features some noteworthy vehicles, uniforms, and clothing.
Aliens Sentry Gun UI
The sentry gun interface from the film “Aliens” makes the Interface Hall of Fame.
The sentry gun interface from the film Aliens makes the designbivouac Interface Hall of Fame. It does a good job of reinforcing the story and function of the remote sentry guns through clips of the simple but clear interface in action. The interface conveys gun temperature, ammo levels, and the fact that there are four sentry gun units, adding clarity and suspense to the film.
Red Planet (HAC Flexible Display)
The flexible display-equipped HAC units resemble the Tube concept put forth by a team of designers from IDEO in their 2010 technology forecasting project conducted for BusinessWeek.
The HAC flexible display device enabled the team in the film Red Planet to overlay accurate position information with a view of their surroundings to gain their bearings once they crashed on Mars. The flexible display-equipped HAC units resemble the Tube concept put forth by a team of designers from IDEO in their 2010 technology forecasting project conducted for BusinessWeek.
